October 13, 2024 Sunday Worship Services

Prelude

Call to Worship   Zechariah 1:3

Hymn  JBC # 651 Saviour, Thy dying love

The Lord's Prayer

Hymn  JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus

Offering

Scripture   Luke 15:11~24

Prayer

Sermon  "From the parable of the prodigal son"

Prayer

Hymn  JBC # 550 Dying with Jesus

Doxology  JBC # 674

Benediction

Postlude

*There is no sermon text uploaded today.

Sunday Worship Service October 6 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 103:8～9
Hymn JBC # 626 I gave My life for thee
The Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Luke 13:6～9
Prayer
Sermon “A fig tree that does not bear any fruits”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 81 God, our Father, we adore Thee!
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude


In today's scripture passage, Jesus told a parable. It is a parable, so it is not an actual event. The point is that there is a message that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples through this story.
The words of the Bible are timeless and carry God's message to us today. Therefore, there is a message that God is trying to convey to us through this parable of Jesus today.
Since this is a parable, let’s listen to Jesus' words while using our imagination too.

Let us read verse 6 again.
　Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.
A man planted a fig tree in his vineyard. When you think about it, would you ever wonder, “Why would someone plant a fig tree in his vineyard?”
Why did he plant a fig in the vineyard? In fact, this seems to have been a common method of fruit cultivation in Judea at that time.

　In a modern orchard, one would plant many of the same kind of fruit in the same place, such as only grapes, or only figs or only oranges in one place, to grow and harvest the fruit efficiently.
However, at the time the New Testament was written, about 2,000 years ago, it was common practice in Israel to plant figs and various other fruit trees too in vineyards.
Grapes can grow upward by becoming entangled with other trees. This was also the reason why fig trees were planted in vineyards.
Figs had a role in the vineyard other than producing fruit. The presence of fig trees helped the grapes to grow.
When we imagine a vineyard in Israel with a variety of fruit trees, we can imagine a colorful (if somewhat chaotic) scene of various fruits growing in support of each other, each with its own character and role in a same place.

Even though the location is a vineyard, there are many different fruit trees planted within it, each fulfilling its own role. And they support each other.
Does this not remind you of our church? Doesn't it give us hope that the church could be like that?
We believers, especially in a church called by God, can respect each other's individuality, appreciate our differences, support each other, and rejoice in the fact that each one of us is specially loved by God.
In the vineyard, the Master (i.e., God) planted a fig tree with a special thought.

Each of us is a fig tree, or a pomegranate (Zaku-lo), or an apple, or any other variety of tree, but we desire to take care of one another as equally valuable humans loved by God, just like fruits planted in the same place by God's plan.
The owner who planted the figs in his vineyard naturally expected that the figs would eventually bear fruit, and he waited for a long time for the fruit to become abundant.

However, for three years, the owner kept coming back to the fig tree, hoping that it would bear fruit, but it never did.
It takes about three years for a fig tree to bear fruit after it is first planted.
Therefore, I imagine that the fact that the owner kept coming to the fig tree to look for fruit for three years means that it had been six years total since the fig tree was first planted.
This shows how patient God is and how earnestly He wants us to bear the fruit of faith.

　　What does the fruit of our faith look like? In another New Testament passage, Galatians 5:22-23, we read:

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - these are the fruits of the spirit, the fruits that believers are said to bear through faith in Jesus Christ.
Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - these are all attributes of God that Jesus Christ Himself possessed in abundance.
If we have received joy and peace through Jesus Christ, we can also acquire tolerance and kindness to others, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (control of our own desires).
Are we bearing such fruits of faith? Can God look at us and find such fruits of faith in us?
　“Fruit” provides nourishment (food for life) to others. Therefore, the fruit of faith that we should bear should nourish other people.

　We want our existence and our church to produce abundant fruit of faith in Christ so that we can nourish those around us and the community around our church.
We have joy in Christ. We have peace through Christ. Let us bear these fruits of faith in abundance, and let us pass them on to others.
　For three years, the owner of the vineyard kept coming back again and again to see if there were any fruits, but in the end he could not find any.

The owner says (verse 7):
‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

　“This fig tree is not producing any fruit at all. It is just a wasteful use of the soil. Cut it down."-When we think the fig tree here is the believers ourselves, it seems that God is very cruel.
But we must know how patiently God waited for us to bear the fruit of repentance before He said, “Cut it down.”
In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read the following words of God. The parable of the grape illustrates how God loved His people (the Israelites) with a deep love.

(Isaiah 5:4)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?

God is love. God is the One who loves and cares for us with infinite love. And true love can be harsh when necessary.
Because God is true love, He is also the one with the severity that is necessary for us. As recipients of God's great love, we must know that God also has the authority to judge us harshly.
When God said “Cut down this fig tree”, the man who took care of the vineyard said (verses 8-9)

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
'Leave it alone for one more year. I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. Please wait one more year.” This gardener, which desperately begs his master to wait one more year, represents Jesus Christ.
In this way, Jesus is offering intercessory prayers and petitions to God the Father in heaven on our behalf for our forgiveness.
This is what this gardener is saying. “I will do all I can. I will not only water the tree, but I will dig around it and fertilize it. In that way, I will thoroughly take care of this fig tree, giving it EVERYTHING it needs so that it can grow.”

Do we believe that there is One who generously gives us everything we need (for us to fulfill our respective missions and roles and grow in faith, to bear the fruits of faith) in such a way?
　As I reflect on myself now as a pastor, I could not help but be acutely aware that all that I truly need has been and continues to be given to me.
　When I decided to dedicate myself as a pastor, I made my own decision based on God's calling “I will give up everything and go wherever God tells me to go, I will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people.”
But before I could give anything up, God had actually prepared and provided everything I needed for me.

God had already prepared a church where I would be allowed to serve as a pastor, and He had given me everyone who would welcome me and respect me up as their pastor.
　He had already given me a wonderful church building in a wonderful place (long before I came). There is nothing I did on my own.
　There are many countries and regions in the world where people are not free to have faith in Christ or to evangelize. There are many missionaries and evangelists in those places who are serving the ministry of Christ's mission risking their lives.
　Now I do not have such serious restrictions and persecutions related to the ministry and pastoral work. I realized that in many cases I had forgotten how blessed I am to have each of these things.
With so much of God's grace, with everything I need given to me, I was reminded that if I did not bear the fruit the Lord desired of me as a Christian and as a pastor and evangelist, I would be cut down, and God had every right to do so.

　God, in His infinite love, patience, and great plan, has put us in our places.
In each place where we are placed, we can surely bear abundant fruits of faith through the love, mercy, and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
　The fruit of faith and the fruit of the spirit that we bear will also spiritually enrich and animate others with whom we share our lives, and will be our way of communicating Christ to them.
　Let us give thanks to God who gives us all blessings, let us stay connected to God, and let us bear the abundant fruit of faith.

Sunday Worship Service September 29, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Joel 2:12~13a
Hymn JBC # 125 All Creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 40 O Thou, in whose presence
Offering
Scripture Matthew 5:21～26
Prayer
Sermon “Reconciliation with brothers”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 628 All to Jesus I surrender
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude


To the people of his (Jesus’) time, it seemed that our Lord Jesus Christ was not upholding the laws of the scriptures that had been observed since ancient times but was breaking them.
For example, Jesus would heal people who were suffering from illnesses even if it was the Sabbath (for the Jews, the Sabbath was on Saturdays).
Since this was seen as the work of healing, which went against the ban on conducting any kind of work on the Sabbath, these actions were criticized severely by the Jewish religious leaders (called the Pharisees and the teachers of the law).
However, Jesus said that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”, and taught people about the real meaning for why God created the Sabbath (to protect human life and dignity and to preserve people’s rest).

Since Jesus did those things that seemed to break (or ignore) the laws of the time, it seems that there were some people who saw Jesus’s actions and thought “We don’t need to observe the old laws anymore”.
Yet, if we listen to the words of Jesus in today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5, we see that Jesus certainly was not dismissing or ignoring the law.
In the section before today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17, Jesus clearly says this.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jesus came into the world to fulfill the Law that is God’s commandments. Jesus came into the world to show us the real meaning of God’s laws.
In today’s Bible passage, it talks about how being provoked to “anger (losing your temper)”, which is one of our emotions, as being against the Law. Let’s look at the words of Jesus.
For us as humans, we have a lot of different emotions. If something good or joyful happens, we feel joy.
During fun times, we feel enjoyment and happiness. If bad things happen or in times of suffering, we feel anxiety or sadness.
One of these emotions we have is “anger”. When is it that we feel anger? When things don’t go the right way, we might feel anger due to our sense of justice.
We hold the belief that morally and ethically, things should be a certain way, and when something happens contrary to this view, we feel indignation and anger.

　The news often tells us about scams where the elderly are taken advantage of for their weaknesses. When we hear about crimes where people take advantage of their weak points to steal assets and property, we get angry.
However, in today’s passage, Jesus is saying that this anger or indignation may lead us in the wrong direction and cause us to commit a major sin.

Jesus says this in Verse 21.

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’

In the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the sixth Commandment is “You shall not murder”. (Exodus 20:13)
The main principle that you shall not take a life is made clear to the Israelites through the Ten Commandments, and even now to us through the Bible.
“Anyone who murders will be subject to judgement” refers to a trial at human hands.
For example, the following is written about a trial of a murder suspect in ‘Numbers’ chapter 25 verse 30.
“‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

In this way, it was decreed that when holding trials (particularly in the case of serious cases such as suspected murders), the testimony of multiple witnesses must be heard, and trials must proceed cautiously.
Jesus himself clearly said that He did not come to abolish or ignore the Law, but to fulfill it.
And in today’s passage, Jesus shows us the real meaning of the law “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.”
Let’s look at the words of Jesus in verse 22.

22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[“You idiot”] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement, and anyone who says things like “Raca” (“You idiot”) or “You fool” will be thrown in the fire of hell.
In other words, Jesus is saying that when in your heart you are angry with your brother or sister (which probably includes your own family and those closest to you), and when you say “You idiot” or “You fool” (including when you just think it to yourself), it is the same as murder.
This is the first meaning of when Jesus talks about “fulfilling the Law”. That is to say, the Law is not such that if we appear to follow it and don’t do anything bad, we are not sinning.

God sees into the hearts (the depths of our hearts) of us as we get angry with our brother or sister, and judges us on our bad thoughts.
　We might think “Jesus is being too strict. No one can meet such a high standard.”
But, there are cases in Bible where being angry with a brother or sister led to actual cases of murder, and even in our society there are cases of this happening.
In ‘Genesis’ chapter 4 in the Old Testament, it tells the tragedy of what happened between Adam and Eve’s first children Cain and Abel.
Cain brought “fruits of the soil” (grain) as an offering to God, however God did not look on this offering with favor. On the other hand, Abel brought lamb (the firstborn of his flock) as an offering, which God did look on with favor.
Cain got extremely angry at this. He was angry that God did not look on his offering with favor, and Cain must have been full of feelings of anger and envy of Abel.
Because of this, in the end Cain killed Abel. These feelings of anger and envy towards his brother brought about the great tragedy of murder between brothers.
When we think about the fact that we have felt envious or angry towards others, we realize that what happened between Cain and Abel is something that could happen to any one of us.

One reason we might feel anger towards a brother or sister (others) is that they think differently or have a different position than us, and we cannot agree with such a person (with their view or position).
Generally in these situations, we must be thinking “I’m in the right”. Because of this, there are times we feel anger and indignation (or suspicion) when faced with opinions or positions different from our own.

Our anger is awoken because of these differences of opinion or position between ourselves and others, and this can develop into a serious sin.
So, what should we do to avoid this? Are the Bible and Jesus telling us to abandon all thoughts and desires of our own, and just agree with other people’s wishes, to keep the peace?

Let’s read today’s verses 23 to 24.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Offering a gift at the altar is an important act of service to God. It is also a faithful duty that must be fulfilled. For us now, this would include worshipping God at church, serving, and giving offerings.
However, although these are all important, in today’s passage Jesus is saying that if there is someone we need to reconcile with, we should first go and make peace with that brother or sister.
Go and be reconciled to them – this is easier said than done. I think being the one to make the first move can be very difficult. (I often think, if only that person would compromise a little more...).

Also when the roots of the problem run deep, making peace or reconciling isn’t something that can be done simply in a short amount of time. We shouldn’t hold on to the fantasy that we can easily reconcile with anyone.
Even so, Jesus says “first go (you make the first move) and be reconciled to them (make peace), then come and offer your gift.
Because of this, let us pray that we follow Jesus’ teachings and that when the occasion arises, we are able to take the first step towards reconciliation.
Reconciliation is not an easy thing to do, and sometimes it takes time. However, let us not give up, but through prayer and communication, let us build a community of faith that has consideration for each other and has a mutual understanding of each other’s viewpoints.
I think if we pray. use our words to communicate, and listen to each other’s hearts, our eyes will be opened to the thoughts and hearts of others that we hadn’t realized before.

In verse 25 of today’s passage, it says that if we do not reconcile, our adversary may turn us over to a judge, the judge may turn us over to the officer, and we may be thrown into prison.

And finally in verse 26, it says the following.

26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

　It is our duty (our responsibility) to reconcile with others, and to reconcile with God. Since this is our debt, it is one that we have to repay.
Yet due to our sin of self-centeredness, there is no way that we can repay this debt in full.
However, the Bible tells us that this debt we owe has been paid in full by Jesus.
In giving his life for us on the Cross, Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for us, so that we can first be reconciled with God.
Through Jesus, we are able to go to God and be reconciled with Him.
Also, at the same time as Jesus became the offering for our reconciliation with God, He also gave His life for us so that we may be reconciled with our brothers and sisters.
Let us remember that Jesus did not cling to His status as the Son of God, but gave His life in atonement for our sins.
Let us also follow the words of Jesus daily and, with the joy of a restored relationship with God, and let us take whatever small first steps we can towards restoring our relationships with others, our brothers and sisters.

Sunday Worship Service September 22, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Deuteronomy 11:1
Hymn JBC # 125 All creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 33 Lord, the light of Your love is shining
Offering
Scripture Matthew 10:34～39
Prayer
Sermon “Not peace but a sword”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 255 Face to face with Christ, my Saviour
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude

In today's Bible passage, Jesus says something remarkable.
　“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’(verse 34～36)

　Jesus once went up a mountain and preached to the people from the top of that mountain, as described in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5. It is a famous sermon known as the “Sermon on the Mount.
In that “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Thus, Jesus told people to “make peace” by His own words and teachings.
So did Jesus say something in today's passage that is completely contrary and contradictory to what he once had said?
What did Jesus mean when he said, “I have come to turn each family member against one another” even though he once had taught people to realize peace?
　In another part of the Bible, Jesus made a promise to give us peace. In the Gospel of John 14:27, it says

John 14:27
　 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Jesus clearly stated as much. Therefore, to understand what Jesus said in today's passage, we need to understand what kind of peace He means by “peace” or “my (Christ's) peace.
For us to understand peace through Jesus Christ, we must first know who Jesus Christ is to us.
　And we must accept by faith and believe with all our hearts what Jesus Christ has done for us.
　And we must accept that as people who believe in what Jesus Christ has done for us and are thankful to Him, Christians are expected to live in an appropriate manner.
We would be able to interpret what Jesus said“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth”is as follows.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace (peace what you think is) on earth.”
　What kind of peace did the Israelites desire at that time? First, that is the peace through liberation from the Roman Empire that ruled over them.
　The Israelites believed that their deliverance from the Roman Empire would be brought about by a Savior (Messiah) as a strong military leader, and they eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah.
　However, the peace that Jesus sought to bring was not such peace.
Jesus gave us the peace of God by laying down His life on the cross, in a way that seems like utter defeat and failure in the eyes of others.
　On the cross, the Son of God laid down His life without any resistance, in a way what appeared as if He had succumbed to the forces of evil.
But in fact, it was precisely by such means that all evil forces were destroyed and our human sins were forgiven.
　Jesus told people that true peace cannot be brought about by military power or by force of some kind by forcing the other (the enemy) to do what you say.
　Because the Son of God laid down His life, God became a man and brought Himself thoroughly low (humble), so that we might be saved and true peace might be given to us.

　Therefore Christians must always remember the humility of Christ, the Son of God, who thoroughly lowered Himself, and who died for our sins on the cross.
　　And since the Son of God has so lowered Himself to give us true peace, we too desire to be peacemakers by lowering ourselves.
　And isn’t another aspect of the peace that the Israelites wanted was the peace of their country (Israel), and their country alone?
　It is the peace of the “fellow” Israelis, the peace of “one’s own family” so to speak.
I imagine that they were hoping for the peace by God that can only be given to the Israelites, who are connected by the bond of the same people (the sense of being a specially chosen people by God).
　In today's passage, Jesus says something very shocking and difficult for us to understand: “I have come to turn families against each other”.
　Family is usually very important existence to us. Families are formed based on something that seems special to us, like blood-relation, and we are usually born as part of one family.
　Families exist as those connected by a special bond and as those who are supposed to love each other.
　However, Jesus said he would bring a sword into it (the family)in today's scripture passage. What on earth did Jesus mean?

verse 37
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Family is important an existence. One's parents or children are to be loved.
“Honor your father and your mother” is one of the most important commandments as in the Ten Commandments of Moses. “Honor your father and mother” can be thought of as including the meaning of “love your father and mother”.
　But Jesus says, “He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And to parents, he says, “He who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
　The key phrase here is clearly “more than me (Jesus Christ).” Families must love each other.
But even love for one's own family, if it is stronger than love for the Lord Jesus Christ, then it is not a love worthy of a Christian, he says.
　This is very confusing and difficult to understand. It seems as if we are being asked to choose between loving our family or loving God (Jesus), which seems odd.
But when we truly know and believe in “what kind of the person Jesus Christ is” and “what He has done for us”, as I said before, we will love Christ first.
For we have been forgiven of our sins by Christ and are thus permitted to live like this. Those who believe that he or she is made alive through Christ must first love Christ.
We all have people we care about, whether they are family members, or friends, or loved ones. It is wonderful to love and cherish others. But the heart to love and cherish others in that way is also something that God gives to us.

　Only when we truly believe in Jesus Christ and love Him will we be able to love our own families as well.
And when we believe in Christ and love Him more than anyone (or anything), we will be able to truly love our own family, and His love will cause us to love others beyond our own family as well.
　In today's passage, when Jesus said that “families will be hostile to one another (turn against one another),” He meant the discord that can arise within families because of faith in Christ.
　I believe that some of you who are the only Christian in your family may experience difficulty in keeping the faith on your own within your family, if not discord or hostility.
　I am thankful that you all come to worship and are connected to the church in spite of such your difficulties, and I would like to pray for those of you.
　But we can trust through Christ that in the end, in the end, Christ’s love, our faith in Jesus Christ, will overwhelm any such conflict, or difficulty, and will help us overcome that difficulty.
　Through each of you sincerely believing in Christ and worshipping God, Christ's love will surely spread to your family and those around you.

I will read the last verse of today, verse 39.
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

These words also seem to say something contradictory at first glance. Why is it that he who seeks to gain his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ's sake will gain it?
　We are created by God. We are creatures made by God, and God is our Creator.
　Therefore, we can only live true life when we are constantly connected to our Creator God. Specifically, we can only continue to live true life if we continue to be nourished by the living Word of God.
　The Word of God does not come naturally from within us. The Word of God is always given to us as grace from outside of us, through the words of the Bible, through prayer, and through worship.
　If we try to live only by our own experiences and our own abilities, without receiving the Word of God given as grace from outside us, we will lose our spiritual life.
We cannot live true life if we cling to who we are in that way. We cannot live true life if we hold on to our natural sins.
　When we renounce our old, sinful selves, and then receive the life of Jesus Christ, which is true life (when we receive Christ into our hearts), we can truly live.
　Let us always put Jesus Christ first, and let us desire to love Christ with all our hearts, and live our lives in that way.
　Let us be people who remember and pray for peace (peace through Christ) in our own families, in our society beyond our family and friends, in our country, and in our world, cherishing the thoughts and love for others that we can receive because of our love for Christ.

Sunday Worship Service Respect for the Aged Service Sep.15, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 73:26
Hymn JBC # 125 All creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 2 Come, Thou almighty King
Offering
Scripture Matthew 9:18～26
Prayer
Sermon “Your faith Has saved you”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 519 My faith, it is an oaken staff
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude

In today's passage, a leader comes to Jesus whose daughter has apparently died.
The leader comes to Jesus, bows down, and says, “ My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”
　Essentially the same story is told in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. In the same story in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, this leader is described as “a synagogue leader”.
　The glossary at the end of the New Interconfessional Translation Bible gives the following explanation of a synagogue leader.
“A person who is in charge of the worship services in a synagogue and has the responsibility of managing the building and facilities.”
Thus, the head of the synagogue was a person who presided over the worship service, that is, led and facilitated the worship service and was responsible for the entire synagogue. He was a man of faith and in a position of leadership.

　　And this man was faced with a very sad event: the death of his daughter. According to other gospels, she was 12 years old.
With great sadness and shock in his heart, this leader came to Jesus. And he bowed down to Jesus.
Since this person was in a leadership position in the synagogue, I imagine that others greeted and respected him (if not prostrated before him).
Normally, other people undergoing sorrow and suffering would have come to this leader and asked for advice.
But now he himself, the leader (head of the synagogue), was facing a great sadness, the loss of his daughter. And he went to Jesus.
This leader's going to Jesus and bowing down to Him shows that our true leader is Jesus, no matter who we are, whether we are leaders or ordinary believers.

Anyone can come to our true leader, Jesus Christ, and bow down to him and worship him.
I imagine it was quite eye-catching to see a leader prostrating himself. But in the face of grief over the loss of his daughter, and in the presence of God, i.e. Jesus Christ, his social position as a “leader”was irrelevant.
He was able to come before God just as a human being, weak and vulnerable, to ask whatever he wished.
It is the same for us. Regardless of our position, social responsibility, status, occupation, gender, race, etc., we are all able to approach God and worship Him.

The church is the place where we can receive that joy. Everyone knows the true God, everyone is equal before Him, everyone can approach Him, receive His love, and worship Him.
Let us all receive that joy and grace ourselves, and pass it on to the rest of the world.
　With the words, “My daughter has just died,” the leader accepted the painful and sad reality of the situation. He confides his pain and sorrow to Jesus.
　Jesus is the one who accepts the reality of all our suffering and sorrow. Jesus Christ understands the pain and sorrow that others do not understand (or do not understand completely).
　This leader says “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”

　　What would you all think upon hearing the request of this leader? Would we think he is asking for unrealistic things?
　We can voice all our sincere desires to God in prayer in this way.
“My daughter has died. But if you come and lay your hands on her, she will come back to life.” (Please do this for me!)
Who can we say this to? (We cannot say this to just anyone.)
　But we can ask God for our deepest desires, even to bring a dead daughter back to life. And God will surely accept that person's wish.
　We can bring all of our desires to God. And it is up to God to decide how He will fulfill those desires.
　But we can trust through the Bible, through Jesus Christ, that our God knows what is best for us and will work out everything according to His plan.
　Let us live our lives with faith, trusting God to do what is best.

When Jesus heard the leader's request, he got up and followed him (v. 19).
　Then a woman who had been sick and bleeding for 12 years approached Jesus and touched the tassel of his garment from behind (v. 20).
　The woman believed that she would be healed as long as she touched his clothes. And true to her faith, the woman came up behind Jesus and touched his clothes.
Why did this woman come from behind Jesus and gently touch his clothes? Couldn't she have gone to Jesus directly, prostrated herself, and make her desire known like that leader did?
　According to Old Testament law, a person with a discharge of blood was not allowed to approach others because they were ceremonially unclean (as recorded in Leviticus 15, for example).
　Therefore, this woman approached Jesus from behind (probably hoping to remain unnoticed) and touched His clothes.

　　This person firmly believed in the power of Jesus, that as long as she touched his clothes, she would be healed.
She had been suffering from the same illness for 12 years, but she had not lost her faith in God and her reliance on Him.
　Even in the midst of the sadness and despair of his daughter's death, the leader still had faith enough to ask Jesus for help.
This woman, too, still had faith enough to seek God in spite of her long illness.
By maintaining a relationship with God through His Word and prayer on a daily basis, one can receive faith that never waivers, even in times of crisis.
Let us cherish the intimate relationship with God that is nourished and given to us daily through prayer and the Word of God.

Jesus noticed that the woman touched him from behind. The Gospel of Mark says, “Jesus realized that power had gone out from him” (Mark 5:30).
All this woman could do was quietly approach Jesus from behind and touch his clothes. And Jesus knew all about her sufferings.
Jesus does not reject anyone who comes to Him for help. He always gives them what they need.
Jesus looked at the woman and said to her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”
Jesus' kind words are also meant for us today as well.
“Take heart, son/daughter. Your faith has healed you.”

Jesus is telling this to each and every one of us today. We hear this voice of Jesus during church.
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has healed you.” Was this faith something that the woman had from the beginning?
Not at all. Faith in God and the belief that all she had to do was touch His clothes to be healed was given to the woman by God.
The basis of the Christian faith is that faith is not won by human effort or experience.
Faith is something freely given by Jesus Christ as a gift of grace. Nevertheless, Jesus calls it “your faith” after giving it to us.
It was through the profound love and compassion of Jesus Christ that the woman was healed. Yet, Jesus does not merely heal our ailments; He shares His divine glory and power and bestows upon us as the incomparable gift of faith, declaring “This is yours.”
　Having received this priceless gift of faith in Jesus Christ, let us cherish it, and receive strength and hope for our daily walk through this faith.

　After Jesus healed the woman, he went to the leader's house. At the leader's house, the funeral had already begun.
The noisy crowd people and those playing pipes in verse 23 refers to the Jewish customs of the time, in which people expressed their grief for the dead at funerals through music, loud voices, and weeping.
　　Jesus said to the people, “Go away. The girl is not dead but is asleep.” And then the crowd laughed at him.
　They laughed at Jesus. The crowd laughed at Jesus, saying, “The leader's daughter is dead. She is not sleeping. What is this man talking about?”
　However, Jesus did not mind being laughed at by the crowd at all. Jesus knew what He was going to do, namely bringing the girl back to life.
　And He knew that there was at least one person there (the synagogue leader) who believed that He has the power to do so.
Jesus also knew of the faith of the woman who came to Him in desperation, believing that if she only touched His clothes, she would surely be healed of her long illness.

　　In today's passage, the leader and the woman may have been the only two people who believed in Jesus. Many of the others in the crowd did not believe in Jesus. They ridiculed Him.
But even when few in number, the sincere faith of the few manifests itself as a miracle of God's grace.
　Jesus took the hand of the daughter of their leader and caused her to rise (come to life). The faith of a single believer in Jesus Christ made such a work of God possible.
　It is said that we Christians are a very small minority in the country of Japan, that only about 1% of the population are Christians. In reality, it is probably even less.
　But I do not believe that we should be discouraged by that number; if everyone of that 1% earnestly believes that God can do anything, then 1% is enough for us to see miracles.
　There is the God of Jesus Christ who gave us a powerful faith that was in essential His own, saying “Your faith has saved you.”
Believing in the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His infinite power, let us walk daily in faith and trust.

Sunday Worship Service September 8, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 7:14
Hymn JBC # 125 All creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 507 He leadeth me! O blessed tho’t!
Offering
Scripture Matthew 1:18～25
Prayer
Sermon “The Fulfillment of the Prophesies”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 492 My hope is built on nothing less
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude

Today's scripture is from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ. This passage, which is related to the birth of Jesus Christ, is often read especially at Christmas time.
　In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1, from verse 1 through 17, which precedes today's passage, there is “the genealogy of Jesus Christ”.
　If those who are not familiar with the Bible, or not a Christian read the part, the long genealogy at the beginning of the New Testament, they may not understand its meaning or may be bored by them.
　But the genealogy contains an important message based on the history of the faith of God and the people of Israel as depicted in the Old Testament.
　That genealogy begins with Abraham. The first man depicted in the Old Testament (the first man God created) is Adam. However, the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew begins with Abraham.

Abraham was chosen by God in the Old Testament book of Genesis and commanded by God to “leave your familiar birthplace and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
The Israelites respected Abraham as the “father of their faith” who departed in accordance with God's command.
Therefore, it can be said that the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew takes as its starting point the faith given to Abraham (on behalf of the Israelites) to set out on God's command.
　Abraham could have responded　to God's command by saying, “I do not want to leave my familiar land, You should at least tell me where exactly I am going.”
But Abraham said nothing. He obeyed God's command and set out with his family. Sometimes, in the face of God's solemn commands, we are simply compelled to obey.
That is not the same as being forced by God to do what He says. Rather, we can start walking by trusting God's commands because in God's commands there are power to encourage people, the power to drive our hearts, and most of all, God's love and blessing.
If we hear God's Word through prayer, and if we hear His commands in it, we desire to respond to His commands with trust.
Matthew's genealogy thus begins with the faith of Abraham, then passes through King David to Joseph, who was Jesus' earthly father.
　By the marriage of Mary, (who is not directly related in the genealogy) and Joseph, Jesus was born in the land of Judea as a Jew, a man in the genealogy that relates to Abraham and David.

Today’s passage tell us that at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, a shocking event (one might say a trial) occurred to Mary and Joseph.

Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married. In those days, an engagement was considered almost the same as being married. However, since they had not yet been officially married, they were not having a relationship as a husband and wife, nor were they living together.
Then it was revealed that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. What did Joseph do? The verse 19 says

19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

I think it is worth noting that Joseph is referred to here as “Joseph her husband.” Again, Joseph and Mary were still engaged to be married.
However, since they had promised to marry, based on the promise, there was already a bond as husband and wife in their hearts. The term “Joseph her husband” indicates this.
Although they had not yet had their relationship as husband and wife, a bond as marreid already existed between them. It was at this time that Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, an event of great significance.
The fact that “Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit” means that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and that His birth was the will and plan of the Lord God.
It means that Jesus was not born by a human relationship between a man and a woman, but that His birth was a divine event, ordained by God.
We are informed of this on faith through the Bible. However, Joseph did not understand this at first. Joseph must have been shocked to learn that Mary, with whom he had no relationship, had conceived a child.

One would normally think that Mary became pregnant because she had a relationship with another man.
What Joseph “did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace” means that he did not want to accuse her of adultery.
In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 10, we read
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
If Joseph accused Mary of adultery, and if evidence of her adultery was found, Mary could have been put to death (stoned to death) according to the law of the time.
Joseph was a “righteous man”. The term “righteous man” means “faithful to the law”. In fact, the New International version that our church reads says so (faithful to the law).
To be faithful to the law, it would be “right” for Joseph to accuse Mary of (possibly) doing wrong.

But Joseph was also right in another sense. That is compassion and kindness as a human.
Joseph had such righteousness and kindness. If he broke off the engagement in secret, Mary (and her unborn child) would at least be able to survive quietly somewhere.
In this way, Joseph thought of protecting the lives of Mary and the child, and keeping them alive. Therefore, Joseph did not make Mary's pregnancy public, but tried to secretly divorce her.
　This was the best Joseph could do as a human being. But God had a different plan, a different justice (and kindness). And God let an angel tell that to Joseph.
The angel tells Joseph. Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary would give birth to a son, whom they would name Jesus.
The Hebrew word for “Jesus” is Joshua, which means “God saves” or “God is salvation”. The angel told Joseph that the coming child was the Saviour.
　Joseph was faced with a decision here:
Whether he would believe in what the angel had told him and the Lord God was going to do, and whether he would take Mary as his wife.
　What the angel told Joseph was of great importance, not only to the Israelites, but to all of us human beings. Because we all have sins.
We stand with Joseph before the decision of whether or not to believe the angel's news of the coming of the One who will save us from our sins.

Let us read verse 22-23.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”. This was prophesied by a prophet named Isaiah in Old Testament times. (Isaiah 7:14)
It was prophesied by Isaiah as the will of God, as the Word of God that will surely come true, about 700 years before Jesus was born.
　What the Gospel of Matthew tells us through the article on the birth of Jesus Christ is that God sent His Son Jesus Christ as a man to our world for the salvation of man.
　This was promised (prophesied) long before. And God's promises always come true. God is faithful to keep His promises. Today’s passage tells us that.
　Joseph believed the angel's words and according to the words he took Mary as his wife. Joseph made a decision to believe in the Lord and to live according to the faith, and he did so.
Our Savior Jesus Christ was born of Mary by the Holy Spirit. The Son of God became the Son of Man, born as a human being with Mary as His mother and Joseph as His father.

Today's passage urges us again to believe in Jesus as our Savior and to make a decision to live according to Him. Let us truly believe in Jesus as our Savior and God who is with us, and let us walk according to that faith.
　Our God is a God who is with us. From His side God first desired to be with us.
God created us, and even though we have been separated from Him by our sins, He still wanted to be with us. What could be better news for us that this?
Because our God is a God who is always with us, Christians are never truly alone, lonely. Because God is always with us.
　Let us remember God who is always with us and give thanks to Him. And just as Joseph and Mary accepted their born son, let us also accept the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts.

In closing, I would like to read from the words of Ephesians 3:16-17.

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you be rooted and established in love.


　



　





　





















　



























　









　







　



　



　











　







お祈りいたします。

Let us pray.

Sunday Worship Service September 1, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship Proverb 3:19
Hymn JBC # 125 All creature of our God and King
The Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 134 Sing them over again to me
Offering
Testimony
Scripture John 1:1~5
Prayer
Sermon “In the beginning was the Word”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 506 ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude

From the beginning of April this year until last week, we have been listening to God’s words mainly from the Old Testament. Starting today, we will listen from the New Testament at our worship service.
Today's Bible passage is the beginning of the Gospel of John, the fourth gospel of the four Gospels.
Jesus Christ does not appear directly in the Old Testament. Now, it is in the New Testament that we learn that Jesus Christ was born as a human being.
There are four Gospels in the New Testament that record the life and words of Jesus Christ: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke have many common features. However, the Gospel of John has distinctive features compared to the other three.
Why are there four Gospels? Sometimes, even when the same story is told, there are subtle differences in each Gospel, and we may wonder, "does it mean one book is accurate and the other is inaccurate as a record (of history)?"
However, I believe that having four Gospels allows the news of Jesus Christ, His good news (gospel means "good news"), to be conveyed more richly.
Not just one Gospel, but each Gospel conveys the news of Jesus Christ, the gospel of God, to us from each perspective.

Each Gospel has its own characteristics. The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy. The genealogy is written at the start of the gospel, starting with Abraham, passing through David, and leading to the birth of Jesus.
　It is said that the Gospel of Matthew was probably written primarily for Jewish Christians.
Therefore, it starts with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which is connected to Abraham, who is said to be the father of faith for the Jews, and the great King David.
The Gospel of Matthew tells the event in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit before she had relations with her husband Joseph, showing that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
The Gospel of Mark does not record the story of Jesus' birth.
The Gospel of Mark begins with the description of John the Baptist's missionary work in the wilderness, which was prophesied in the Book of Malachi, the passage of last week's worship message, and with John's baptism of Jesus.
I think it is fair to say that the Gospel of Mark was written with emphasis on the actions and work that Jesus actually did.
The Gospel of Luke begins with the record of the birth of John the Baptist and is the only Gospel to contain the story of Jesus' childhood (when he was 12 years old).

The story is of when Jesus, at the age of 12, traveled to Jerusalem with his parents for the Passover. On the way back from Jerusalem, they lost sight of their son Jesus, so Joseph and Mary went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
There, Jesus was sitting in the midst of the scholars in the temple, listening to them and asking them questions. It is written that the people were amazed at his wise answers (Luke 2:47).
All the Gospels tell us that Jesus was the Son of God, that he was eventually crucified, died, buried in a tomb, and resurrected three days later. All the Gospels tell us that Jesus is the Son of God and is equal to God.

As for the Gospel of John, the beginning is very unique, it says: "In the beginning was the Word." These words make us think of the opening words of the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis.
　On Sunday, April 7th, the first Sunday of this year, we listened to God's Words from the Old Testament (Genesis 1:1-5), which is the very beginning of the Bible.
The beginning of Genesis begins with the words, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.," and declares that God created everything in our world.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." By God’s first word “Let there be light” the creation of the world began. With God's words, light was created in the midst of empty darkness.
The first words of the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word," are directly connected to God's Creation of the World. As we continue to read John 1 beyond today's passage, we can see that the "Word" here refers to Jesus Christ.

Verse 14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." This means that the Word, that is, Jesus Christ, was born into the world as flesh (a human being with a physical body) and lived with people.
It is amazing news that God became man in the form of Jesus Christ and that He lived as a human being with a physical body just like us.
The fact that God became man and lived a life with a physical body just like us tells us that our lives have great meaning before God.
Although our lives on this earth are limited, we can encounter God, be strengthened by His Word, and know the dignity of our existence.

"In the beginning was the Word" means that Jesus Christ was from the beginning of the world. Jesus Christ is God and the Creator.
Today's verse 3 says, " Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
Again, in the Gospel of John, the "Word" refers to Jesus Christ, so the Gospel of John states that "all things were created and came into existence through Jesus Christ."

Colossians 1:16 says like this:
　 For in him (*God’s son Jesus Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

This last part, "created for him," is very important. We were created for His Son, Jesus Christ.
One of the sufferings of life is that we cannot find meaning or significance in life. The Bible clearly shows us the answer to this: "We were created by Christ and for Christ."
Therefore, the meaning of our life is "to live for Christ." We come to know Jesus Christ through the Bible, and we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior.
And because we were created for Christ, I pray we would examine and think about whether our way of life, our daily lives, is for Christ.
One indicator of whether we are living for Christ is whether our words and actions point people to Jesus Christ.
An indicator of whether we are living for Christ is whether our church points people to Jesus Christ.

In other words, one indicator is whether Christ is visible to people through our life of faith, our way of life.
The question is whether people can see through us the joy and power of the Lord.
Therefore, the important thing is not whether people think, "a pastor’s sermon was wonderful!” after the service ends, but whether they can think, "Jesus Christ is amazing!".
When people come to our church, it is not whether they think, "Beppu International Church is a good church" (although we would certainly be happy if they thought that), but rather whether they think, "Jesus Christ is amazing."
Those who believe in God and live by God's Word will surely live that way and have that kind of face (expression).

It is our hope that we, who stand on the Word and are alive through Jesus Christ, will be able to represent Christ through the way we live.
Today's verse 4 says, " In him (The Word) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
True life is found in Jesus Christ. That life shines on us as light, and we too will brightly light up those around us with the light of Christ.

　Let’s read verse 5, the last verse of today’s message.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[or understand] it.

Certainly, there are times in our world when the reality can only be described as “dark.” There is also the reality of war, where people and nations fight, hate, and kill each other.
Above all, there is the problem of our sin, but Christ shines in the darkness as the true light, the light that never goes out.
The light of Jesus Christ always shines forever as a light that darkness can never overcome. We can receive and live in that eternal light.

Later on Jesus said like this:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Let us follow Jesus together, receive the light of life from Jesus, be alive by that light, and walk in the light every day.